South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (SATAWU) made submissions opposing the Essential Services Committee’s bid to make public transport an essential service thereby barring workers in the sector from striking. SATAWU opposed the application on the basis that it is frivolous and seeks to strip the Constitutional rights of workers to improve their working…

National spokesperson at South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu), Zanele Sabela, says bus companies are trying to escape a wage agreement. This follows an application by five bus companies to be exempted from a recently signed bus sector wage agreement, citing financial difficulties. Sabela says they had a hearing with Putco and other…

Five bus companies, including Golden Arrow and Putco, have applied to be excluded from complying with the recently signed bus sector wage agreement, a move that could result in labour unrest. They have cited financial difficulties, angering labour, with the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) saying the move undermines collective bargaining. Labour…

JOHANNESBURG – A number of bus companies have made a U-turn on the agreed-upon salary increase for its employees, saying they can’t afford it. A near month-long national bus strike earlier this year severely impacted on commuters but ended when a 2-year wage agreement was reached. However, a number of bus companies have now said they can’t afford the increases…

South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (SATAWU) has today made a submission to oppose an application by Putco to be exempted from paying its workers the wage increase signed in May this year. Labour unions and employers in the South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council (SARPBAC) signed a two-year wage agreement in May following…

Commuters board taxis during the nationwide bus strike in April 17 in KwaMhlanga, Mpumalanga. (Gallo Images, Thulani Mbele) Government is investigating whether public transport and education should be considered essential services. This would effectively bar bus drivers and teachers from striking in future. But the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU), with over…

South African Transport and Allied Workers’ Union (SATAWU) salutes its members in the passenger bus sector for the strength of character displayed during the strike. The nationwide bus strike is SATAWU’s longest in recent memory and the union acknowledges the pressure members were under given the no work, no pay rule. Regardless of this, members…

Labour unions in the bus sector, SATAWU, TAWUSA, NUMSA, TOWU and TASWU, have accepted the latest wage offer by bus employers to end the lengthy national bus strike. The breakdown of the offer is as follows: • 9% across-the-board wage increase for the first year effective as of 01 April 2018 to 31 March 2019 •8%…